I've been following this thread, thinking that what I would do is nothing special worth posting about, but I haven't seen it mentioned, either. Although many babies can latch almost unassisted, I teach all moms in my classes how to make a "breast sandwich" just in case they have that baby who needs extra help. It utilizes the "C" and "U" holds, but is more than supporting the breast. I show moms how to use the C (for football hold) or U (for cradle and transition hold) with their fingers about 2" back from the nipple tip to form a sandwich or wedge that baby can more easily get his mouth around. Mom's fingertips need to be on either side of the nipple so that you can draw a straight line from the thumb tip, through the nipple to the other finger tip. This is important, because most moms will have their fingers above the nipple and the web of their hand smashed into the breast, getting in baby's way. When they have done this, the breast sandwich should have formed a somewhat taut wedge of breast that makes a decent "landmark" for baby to latch on to. I find that it can be very important for mom to maintain this hold during the feeding for the first week or so as baby becomes accustomed to breastfeeding. If she lets go early, the first time the baby loses suction slightly the breast will pull back and baby will either slide down to the end of the nipple or lose the breast completely, having lost his "landmark". I also find that some gentle, assertive help in coming to the breast aids him in "going for it". Please forgive me if I've been reiterating the obvious. -Lisa Marasco, BA, IBCLC